Żaneta Palica

Based on a script by Andrzej Żuławski, this is a fascinating on-screen dialogue between father and son that combines nostalgia and fury, the sublime with humor, and old-school style with a sharp, penetrating look at Polish reality. The eponymous bird talk is the language used by those excluded from the aggressive majority: a history teacher tormented by children, a teacher of Polish studies fired from his job, a girl who cleans a banker’s villa, a florist with a club foot and a student with a fascination for cinema. Pushed to the margins by the extreme right, they defend themselves with irony, songs and quotes from the classics.

A historical story about a young woman, Matilda, who in the politically difficult times of the partitions after the January Uprising becomes a pawn of landed gentry intrigues. Her past, which is also a mystery to herself, is overshadowed by the political decisions of both Polish patriots and traitors plotting with the Russian invaders. In addition to its educational and historical value, the series contains rich thriller and love plots.